Asklemmy

No, the purpose of government is to preserve what they deem as "order". For example, the US government is trying to preserve its own existance and preserve the status quo. They conduct surveillance and interfere with extremist groups, both left and right (although they seem to target left-wing groups more often). Governments uphold core principles they value. In the US, the Constitution are those core principles, a Republic of the People that has varying degrees of democracy over time. In China, it's Marxism-Leninism (although their ideology has been shifting to Maoism, Dengism, and now Xi-ism?). In many middle east countries, it's Islamic Theocracy.

Governments with elements of democracy tend to "care about your best interests" more often than authoritarian ones, but its more about the core principles rather than the people running the government them selves. Over time, the people in government can shape it's core principles.

In summary, governments uphold a set of core values that may or may not be in the interest of the people, depending on whether or not the core principles allign with the core principles of what the people believe.